Tender intelligence · Checked 31 October 2026
Skim alternative: Zephior vs Skim (2026)
Choose Zephior if you want free tender search and then the whole submission produced in the buyer’s own files, at one price per project. Choose Skim if you want UK and EU tender intelligence with bid/no-bid analysis and strategy meetings, from £199 a month for three countries. Skim’s own bid team writing your responses is an Enterprise service, from £1,500 a month.
Choose Zephior if
A team that wants to find tenders for free and have Ziva draft the response, fill the buyer’s forms and assemble the package.
Choose Skim if
A UK or Irish SME that wants tender intelligence plus regular strategy advice from experienced bid practitioners.
At a glance
Zephior and Skim, fact by fact.
Every Skim entry links to its source and shows when we checked it. Where we could not find a published fact, we left the row out.
| Fact | Zephior | Skim |
|---|---|---|
| Price model | ZephiorOne published price per project. You choose how many new projects you open each month. | SkimMonthly plans by number of countries. A free tier for one country. Skim pricing(opens in a new tab) Checked 31 October 2026 |
| Published entry price | ZephiorCHF 500 (EUR 550, USD 650) per month for one project, falling to CHF 400 per project at 20 a month. Annual billing saves 10%. | SkimStarter £199 a month (£169 billed annually) for 3 countries. Growth £599 a month (£509 annually) for 10. Enterprise from £1,500 a month. Skim pricing(opens in a new tab) Checked 31 October 2026 |
| Users included | ZephiorUnlimited users and unlimited company knowledge in every plan. | SkimUnlimited users on every plan. Skim pricing(opens in a new tab) Checked 31 October 2026 |
| Features by plan | ZephiorThe same capabilities in every plan. Only the number of projects changes. | SkimAll paid plans share the platform features. Growth adds advisory support and strategy meetings; Enterprise adds Skim’s bid team. Skim pricing(opens in a new tab) Checked 31 October 2026 |
| Minimum commitment | ZephiorMonthly or annual. A monthly plan runs month to month. | SkimMonthly plans are month to month. Annual plans are paid upfront; Enterprise is annual only. Skim pricing(opens in a new tab) Checked 31 October 2026 |
| Trying it first | ZephiorStart paid, with a first-month money-back right: ask for a refund within the first month and you get the full amount back. | Skim14-day trial on Starter and Growth. A free beta tier capped at 5 messages a day. Skim pricing(opens in a new tab) Checked 31 October 2026 |
| Public tender search | ZephiorYes. The public tender directory on zephior.com/tenders is free to browse, without an account. Ziva Intelligence, search and analysis for one country, is CHF 199 per month. | SkimPaid beyond one country. UK and EU portals, scanned hourly. Skim pricing(opens in a new tab)Skim homepage(opens in a new tab) Checked 31 October 2026 |
| Full proposal package | ZephiorYes. Proposal, forms, pricing sheet and presentation as finished Word, Excel, PowerPoint and PDF files. | SkimAI-drafted responses that need human sign-off. Filling the buyer’s forms is not described. Skim homepage(opens in a new tab) Checked 31 October 2026 |
| Bid help from people | ZephiorYes. Our Zelius bid team can take on a tender with you, scoped per bid. | SkimYes. The Skim bid team writes responses on Enterprise, in the UK and Ireland. Skim pricing(opens in a new tab)Skim homepage(opens in a new tab) Checked 31 October 2026 |
Ziva prices exclude VAT. See current pricing for every plan and currency.
In their own words
Where Skim falls short.
Taken from Skim’s own pages and from public reviews, each with its source.
Country limits by plan
Starter covers three countries and Growth ten. All UK and EU countries need Enterprise.
Skim pricing(opens in a new tab)The bid team costs Enterprise
Having Skim’s team write and strengthen your responses is part of the Enterprise plan, from £1,500 a month and annual only.
“The Skim bid team writes and strengthens your responses.”
Skim pricing(opens in a new tab)Drafts, not the buyer’s files
Skim describes AI-drafted responses for human sign-off. Completing the buyer’s workbooks and templates is not described.
Skim homepage(opens in a new tab)
Where Zephior goes further
What changes for your bid team.
Free search, then the bid
The public tender directory on zephior.com/tenders is free to browse without an account. When a tender fits, Ziva reads the full tender package and drafts the response.
Qualification on the documents
Before you commit a team, Ziva reads the tender documents against what your company can prove and shows where you are strong, where you are exposed and what only you can answer.
The submission files, finished
Ziva fills the buyer’s own Excel forms and price sheets, writes the proposal in their Word template and assembles the package as Word, Excel, PowerPoint and PDF files.
A bid team when you need one
Our Zelius bid team can take on a tender with you in the same workspace, scoped per bid.
What Skim does well
- Bid/no-bid, buyer and competitor analysis across UK and EU portals. Skim homepage(opens in a new tab)
- Unlimited users, published prices and month-to-month plans. Skim pricing(opens in a new tab)
- Strategy meetings and an account manager from the Growth plan. Skim pricing(opens in a new tab)
Switching
Moving from Skim to Zephior.
- 1
Search the same market for free
Open zephior.com/tenders and search the countries and categories you monitor today. No account is needed to browse.
- 2
Take one tender into a bid
Pick a live tender, upload its documents and a few past bids into a Ziva project, and let Ziva qualify it and draft the response.
- 3
Measure the work left over
Measure what is left for your team: the forms, the price sheet and the proposal. That is where a bid is won or lost.
- 4
Decide on evidence
Each Ziva product has a first-month money-back right, so you can test it on a real bid before you change anything else.
Questions
Zephior vs Skim: straight answers.
Is Zephior’s tender search free?
Yes. The public tender directory on zephior.com/tenders is free to browse, without an account. Skim’s free tier covers one country with a daily message cap.
Skim pricing(opens in a new tab)Does Skim write bids?
Its platform drafts responses for human sign-off, and its bid team writes them on Enterprise. Ziva drafts the response, fills the buyer’s own files and assembles the package in every plan.
Skim homepage(opens in a new tab)Skim pricing(opens in a new tab)Can I get human bid help with both?
Yes. Skim’s bid team is part of Enterprise. With Ziva, our Zelius bid team can take on a tender with you, scoped per bid.
Skim pricing(opens in a new tab)Sources and method
We read Skim’s own website and, where noted, public review pages. Last full check: 31 October 2026. Review quotes are short excerpts from the named page. Zephior publishes this page and sells Ziva; our facts follow our published pricing and product pages. If anything about Skim has changed, tell us at hello@zephior.com and we will correct it.
Try it on a real bid
Bring a tender you know.
Compare what comes back.
Run a live tender, or one you submitted before, in your first month. If Ziva does not convince you, you get your money back.